Night By Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel O Elie Wiesel was born September 30, 1928 (still alive) O Wiesel grew up in a close-knit community shaped by its religious beliefs/practices (Sighet, small town on the Hungarian-Romanian border ) O Sighet had a population of 10,000 Jews O In 1944, near the end of WWII, all the Jews of Sighet were deported to Germany O Jan. 28, 1945—Elie’s father died in Buchenwald (3 months before liberation) O Apr liberated from concentration camp

Elie’s Life Timeline continued… O Wiesel survived but his mother, father, and one of his three sisters died O After the war, Wiesel was placed in a French orphanage, where he learned the French language and was reunited with his older sisters, Hilda and Bea, who had also survived the war O After the Holocaust, Elie took a 10 year vow of silence refusing to write or talk about his experience during the Holocaust O moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne (studied philosophy) O work in journalism begins (several newspapers, etc.) O decides to write about the Holocaust (persuaded by friend) O started writing Night (first book) O hit by a car in New York, spent one year in a wheelchair recovering from injuries O Night is published O receives U.S. citizenship

Timeline continued… O returned to Sighet O married Marion Rose O son is born, Elisha O appointed chair of Presidential Commission on the Holocaust O Commission renamed U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council O awarded Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement O awarded Nobel Peace Prize O publishes memoirs O Today, Wiesel is a humanitarian and a professor

Elie Wiesel O Wiesel wrote 57 novels (best known is Night), several memoirs, and non-fiction pieces O Often referred to as “the messenger of mankind” O Still to this day searching for answers, and questions his faith in God

Peace Prize 1996 O Accepting Nobel Peace for Prize

Picture at Concentration Camp